It's Futile To Resist
by Jos27
Summary: What happens when the host club kidnapps Haruhi for a mysterious 'club' trip? Will love blossom away from home, or will Haruhi just get a headache from all the ridiculousness? Read more to find out!
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Hey! Sorry for all those who were reading OFAD- I know I dropped it kinda suddenly, and I promise I'll work on that in the near future. But in the meantime, I hope this tides you over for a bit. Please no, flames, and if you have any suggestions or comments concerning what you want to see happen, let me know! Ideas are always welcome. Please, Read&Review!!! And now, without further ado…

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**It's Futile to Resist**

Chapter One

Haruhi was returning from grocery shopping. She climbed up the stairs to her apartment, her arms straining under the weight of the bags she carried. She grinned, silently congratulating her prowess as a skillful buyer. She'd made the huge sale at the supermarket and successfully haggled down prices in the shopping district earlier. Tonight, she decided, she would prepare a celebratory feast.

Haruhi smiled eagerly, and fumbled for the key to her door. She turned it in the lock and pushed the door open.

"Welcome home, Har--!"

Haruhi immediately slammed the door shut and waited a few moments before creaking it opening again, hesitantly this time.

No good. The vision before her still hadn't changed. There they all were- the entire host club seated around her table in the living room. How the hell had they gotten inside her house?

"That's so mean, Haru-chan!!!" she heard Tamaki-sempai complain, his big blue eyes filled with shock. "Your poor father only wished to greet his beloved daughter!" He rushed towards her; arms outstretched, but she easily dodged him- something she was becoming quite good at these days.

"How did you get in here?" Haruhi asked suspiciously, dumping her grocery bags on the floor as she pulled off her shoes. "You know breaking and entering is illegal, right?"

"We have a key" Hunni supplied cheerfully, "So it's not breaking and entering then, right? Not if we have a key."

That was definitely debatable, but Haruhi was more worried about how they'd gotten it. Had Kaoru or Hikaru taken her house key and made a spare copy while she wasn't looking? Perhaps Hunni was lying and they'd picked the lock. Or maybe Kyouya had manipulated Tamaki into seducing the landlady to gain entrance. She couldn't see Kyouya doing the deed himself, he was much more prone to using others for his dirty work. How in the world had gotten inside? Maybe?…No, he couldn't he? She turned to Kyouya and shot him a look of doubt.

He smirked and pushed his glasses back up on his face, as if to say, 'What did you expect?'

Damnitt! Her old man must have…

"You're father was most obliging" Kyouya said, as if to answer her thoughts, "When we told him that we needed to fetch you for an important club trip."

"What club trip?! No-one told me about it!" Haruhi protested.

"But Haruhi, we're telling you now!" Hunni said, as if that were warning enough.

"I…I can't go, my father won't let me…It's too soon…" It was a blatant lie; she doubted her father would care, but she was running out of options here.

Kaoru grinned, coming over to place his hand on her shoulder, and said in a high, falsetto voice, "'Taking Haruhi on a school trip? My, that sounds wonderful! Of course she can go. Here, take my key; Haruhi is out shopping so she won't be back until later. You can just wait for her there! Oh, I remember my school trip…listen to me getting carried away, will you? I hope you make wonderful memories together-'"

"-Was what he said," Hikaru finished nonchalantly from the other side of the room.

Figures that he would say something completely irresponsible like that, Haruhi thought to herself. But something didn't make sense here. "How did you find my father? And when did you get here, and wh-" Haruhi trailed off and slumped down on the floor, utterly defeated. "Never-mind. I don't even want to know the extent to which my privacy has already been violated."

"I hope you don't mind," Kyouya stated offhandedly, "I've already taken the liberty of having your things packed for you. To save time."

As he said this, a large man wearing a black suit emerged from her room carrying a suitcase. "Sir?" he looked to Kyouya.

"Put it in the trunk," Kyouya answered.

The man nodded and walked past Haruhi, and out the front door.

Haruhi watched the whole scene before her, absolutely horrified. She couldn't believe this! Haruhi sighed and rubbed her temples. Great, now I can cross 'have personal space invaded' and 'let strange men rummage through my things while I'm not home' off my to-do list, she thought bitterly.

"If that's all, then let's go!" Tamaki said, suddenly taking her hand, and leading her out the door.

"B-b-but-" Haruhi stammered as she was dragged away, "Wait! At least tell me where we are going!"

Tamaki turned and winked at her. "It's a surprise."

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A/N: Short? Yes. I know, but I'll post again tomorrow to make up for it. Please Review!!!! -Jos


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: hi guys! I know, I know! This one is short too. But originally, the first and second chapter were supposed to be one. Anyways, the next one will be longer, I promise, though it may take a day or two to update. On a different note, I need your help in deciding how the story should go- I can't decide- should it be a haruhi-tamaki story or a haruhi-kyouya story? Or maybe a Hitchan one? Let me know what you think.

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Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

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Chapter 2

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Ten minutes later, Haruhi found herself sitting inside Kyouya's limo along with Tamaki, Takashi, the Hitchan twins and Hunni. She was wedged in between Kaoru and Hikaru, who had butted in earlier when Tamaki had tried to take an empty space beside her. They were joking to one-another about something, and Hikaru accidently jostled her knee. She didn't notice; she was too absorbed in her own emotions for that. Haruhi was still thinking about how completely high-handed everyone had been around her. So far today, protesting had only gotten her manhandled by more of those strange men in dark suits and stuffed inside this vehicle. In fact, it seemed that whenever she protested against something, Kyouya appeared to automatically assume that this was her way of giving him permission to use brute force. _Like hell.__ What kind of person thinks that way?!_ _Stupid, autocratic bastard!_ She glared at him now, silently cursing his abusive power over her.

Kyouya, who had been intently reading a book up until this point, sensed her soul-searing stare and looked up from the pages. "Is something the matter?" he inquired politely.

"Besides your utter disrespect for my personal rights? No, everything is perfectly fine." Haruhi said, her words dripping with venom.

Tamaki looked over at Haruhi and his eyes widened. It wasn't often she got this upset. "Now Haruhi," he tried to appease her, "We never meant to disrespect you…"

Kyouya suddenly shut his book, with a loud _thwack!_ cutting off Tamaki's placating words.

"Funny," he said coolly, "I was under the impression that you owe quite the fortune to our host club." He looked her in the eyes now. "Surely such a person who is already _tremendously_ indebted to us couldn't possibly be so _impertinent _as to think she is entitled to such privileges? I believe it was agreed that this was the most suitable way to repay the club, was it not? By being at our beck-and-call, that is. Unless you have some other form of payment readily available-?" he deliberated.

Haruhi turned bright red and shook her head. That's right, she had forgotten about the incident with the vase. Until she was able to pay off her million yen debt she was practically the club's dog. But still…it was so unfair! She swallowed hard, wanting to lash out at him, but forced herself to hold back. Haruhi knew that whatever she said would just be volleyed right back at her by the devious shadow king.

"Well," Kyouya opened his book again and flipped to the right page, "There should be no further complaints, then, should there?" With that he returned to his reading, the subject matter closed.

Haruhi sighed heavily. It appeared her life was doomed to be in the hands of a heartless devil. She looked out the window at the passing scenery. Rolling green hills and rich pastures speed by as the car accelerated past. She half-listened to an argument going on between the twins and Tamaki. They appeared to be arguing over who got to sit next to her. But she didn't really see why it mattered all that much though, all the seats were the same really.

"But fathers should be next to their daughters!" Tamaki insisted.

Haruhi snorted when she heard this.

Tamaki looked at her with concern and offered her a tissue.

"Oh? Maybe we should see what 'your daughter' thinks," Kaoru said. "Class-mates should sit together, right, Haruhi?" he purred, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in an intimate manner.

Hikaru caught his twin's sly expression and a smile curved his lips. Her placed his arm over her other shoulder and added, "Especially since we are _such_ good friends and all."

Tamaki gasped in outrage.

"Do what you like," Haruhi replied with an indifferent huff. She doubted that even if she _did_ object, it wouldn't make one whit of a difference anyway.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki pointed in shock, "Are you just going to let those two heathens assault you like that?"

"What, this?" she looked at the offending arms. "Its just skinship isn't it? I thought that's what you do with your class-mates."

"Then I, as your father, demand skinship time with Haruhi too!" Tamaki commanded.

Haruhi narrowed her eyes. "That's just weird."

Words couldn't describe Tamaki's look of devastation and the twins laughed uproariously. Haruhi rolled her eyes and turned to look at Takashi and Hunni. Now there was an odd match. Two complete opposites, yet absolutely inseparable from one another. She decided that she would try and see if Hunni cold give her a hint about what they had planned for her.

"Hunni," she whisphered, "do you know where we are going?"

Hunni smiled. "Nuh-uh! Tamaki made us promise not to tell you 'til we got there."

"Aw, can't you just give me a hint?"

Hunni considered for a moment and was about to speak, but was stopped by Takashi placing his hand on his arm.

"Hunni," He said simply and shook his head.

Hunni signed 'sorry,' and happily began a one-sided conversation with Takashi.

Haruhi 'humphed' and crossed her arms.

Suddenly the limo came to a stop.

"We're here!" Tamaki cheered gleefully.

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Me: Huh, I wonder where they are going. 

Haruhi: Um, aren't you the author…like shouldn't you already know?

Me: Oh hey, you're right! Awesome! It's like knowing the end of Harry Potter before the book's even out!!!

Haruhi: -.-;


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow. Sorry about the bumpy ending last chapter. But this one is a bit longer so I hope you enjoy it. Anyways, I'd like to make a deal with ya'll. For every 10 reviews I get per chapter, I will update a day earlier. Currently I am going to try to get in the habit of posting every three days. But if you review lots, I'll post earlier!!! On that note I would like to wish everyone celebrating Christmas happy holidays!!!

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**Note: Just so everybody isn't confused, only Takashi, Hunni, Tamaki and Kyouya are aware of 'the plan.' Kaoru and Hikaru don't know what's going on, They're just going with the flow.**

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Chapter Three

As soon as the door opened, Hunni bounded outside, closely followed by Takashi. Haruhi had to cover her eyes as the sunlight streamed into her vision. It was too bright for her to bear. Not that it was any brighter than it had been when she'd first gotten in the car. The limousine's darkly tinted windows just made the transition from indoors to outdoors hard. But when her eyes finally did adjust, the first thing she noticed was the sign over-hanging: Okinawa Station.

"We're at the train station," Haruhi couldn't help but notice.

"Correct," she heard Tamaki say from behind. He pulled off a pair of shades he'd donned earlier. Haruhi guessed that he must have already known about the whole brightness thing and had come prepared. He grinned. "From here on we are going to 'rough it'."

Hikaru slid out of the car with a yawn. "Rough it?" he asked, only mildly interested.

Tamaki laughed and waggled his finger as if he were an expert on the matter. "It's what commoners say when they must take the poor man's way out." He paused, tapping chin thoughtfully. "I suppose they came up with the phrase to give a more dignified sounding ring to the fact that they are just enduring uncomfortable conditions and living without any conveniences."

"That sounds absolutely barbaric. Anyways, I hope you booked a private car, milord," Kaoru said as he followed Hikaru out of the vehicle.

Tamaki whirled around to face Kaoru and _tsked,_ "Don't be ridiculous. We are going to 'rough it' along with all the other commoners. It has to be authentic," he declared.

The twins moaned in unison.

Haruhi wasn't exactly sure what riding the train had to do with 'roughing it' but she wasn't about to spoil Tamaki's moment. Instead she went around to the back of the car to see where Takashi and Hunni had disappeared to. As she turned the corner she abruptly collided into Takashi's massive body as he was bringing their bags around front. Haruhi landed on the ground with a great, "Ompf!"

"Careful." Takashi offered her a hand up. His other hand was balancing luggage on his shoulder. It looked incredibly heavy, but Takashi seemed virtually unaffected by the extra weight. Of course, he always seemed cool and aloof, so perhaps he _was _having trouble with it, and Haruhi just couldn't tell.

"Thanks," Haruhi said as she took his hand. "Do you need and help with that? It looks heavy." She pointed to the bags on his shoulder.

Takashi only looked at her blankly and shook his head.

"This is nothing for Takashi," Hunni said as he came around the corner, carrying his own bunny-stamped suitcase. "When he was training he had to carry two boulders tied to his arms along with his own backpack and things to the mountains. I think he also had weights on his feet too…I'm not sure though."

Takashi nodded, reminiscing.

Haruhi blanched. _What kind of freak training was that?!_

Kyouya was the last one to get out of the limosine. He walked around to the driver's side and motioned for the chauffer to roll down his window.

"Sir?" the driver asked once the window was down.

"Is everything on schedule?" Kyouya asked.

"You should arrive by three, sir."

"Excellent. Take my things to the plane. I want a copy of my agenda and the usual portfolio prepared for each family ready when I arrive. Make sure the additional chefs and staff have all the supplies they will need. Oh, and make sure everyone is comfortable; there should be lack for nothing. That is all." Kyouya finished.

"As you wish," the driver nodded.

"Tamaki," Kyouya called over to the other side of the car, "I have other business to attend to, so I will meet you there. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Aw," Tamaki complained loudly, "I thought you said you would ride there with us!"

Kyouya pushed up his glasses and walked around to where the rest of the group was gathered. "Do you not remember our original reason for taking this little trip?" He lowered his voice as he walked up to him. "I would not be doing this were there no profit to be gained. I'm holding up my end of the deal; you better hold up yours."

Tamaki turned bright red but didn't say anything.

Kyouya then smiled and got back inside the limousine then waved, "Later then." As soon as the door was closed, the car sped off into the distance.

"Where is he going?" Hikaru wondered idly.

Tamaki _hmphed_ "Nevermind him. We'll go on without Kyouya!" He heaved his back-pack over his shoulder. Tamaki then spun around and marched angrily over to the platform. He waited there, scowling darkly.

"What's his problem?" Haruhi asked, confused.

"We're just as much in the dark to what's going on as you are," Kaoru shrugged and collected his things before heading to the platform.

Hikaru picked up his suitcase to follow his brother. "No one told us where we were going either. For some reason, they were under the impression that we would spoil the surprise." He gave Haruhi and innocent look. "Anyways, his lordship is probably just being temperamental again."

Haruhi frowned. True, Tamaki was known for his moodiness, but something about this whole get-up didn't quite sit right with her. It must be a very well-kept secret if the twins didn't already know about it, maybe-

"C'mon, Haruhi!" Hunni grabbed her hand and led her over to the platform with everyone else.

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Tamaki's ability to recover quickly, as always, amazed Haruhi. As soon as the stepped onto the train, it was all smiles and excited glee once again, as if he hadn't been angry moments earlier. He was like a little kid, wanting to know what everything was, wanting to touch it all and know how it worked and why. Honestly, a puppy could contain itself better than he could.

"Look, look, Haruhi!" He pointed out the window, "We're moving!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I can see that."

"Haru-chan!" Hunni called, "When does the dessert cart come 'round?"

"I don't know. Ask the attendant."

"My God!" Haruhi heard the twins cry from across the aisle, "The fabric on these chairs is so cheap! I wonder if sitting in them will soil our clothes?"

Tamaki heard that as well and laughed boisterously, "Ha! I came prepared for a situation like this." He stood up to reveal a thin, paper toilet-seat cover he'd placed on his chair-cushion. "Yes, commoners ingeniously invented this device for just such occasions in order to not dirty themselves in places like this." He sounded proud, as though he, himself had invented the covering.

"Ohhh!" The twins sounded impressed.

Of all the ridiculous-! Haruhi shook her head. She could hear people whispering.

"Who are those boys?" one person said.

"Stuck up little…" another man grumbled.

"So much for a nice, quiet train-ride" a woman muttered.

She sunk into her chair, wishing she could just disappear. How embarrassing. She hoped wherever their destination was, they would arrive as quickly and painlessly possible.

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A/N: Where are they going? Why isn't Kyouya riding with them? Why was Tamaki so upset? All will be revealed next chapter- look forward to it! That's all for now. Please Review!!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Okay it's come to my attention that I virtually suck at editing. Thanks to Beelzenefs-curses for noticing the whole Okinawa thing. Alright, pay attention everyone; this is important: They aren't even going to Okinawa- I can't believe I even made such a stupid typo- they are on a train headed to **HOKKAI****DO**. Yes, the Hokkaido that is pretty much at the opposite end of the country, that Hokkaido. And yes, I also realize that it's pretty much impossible time-wise, even if this _is_ fiction, to arrive some place miles and miles away in like, ten minutes. They'd have to at least teleport or apparate, or something. So make a note: they are going from a Tokyo station to Aomori, then from there driving to Hokkaido.

I hope that's cleared up now. Anywayz, Yay for a long(er) chapter! Sorry, I took a bit to post, I was just so caught up in it all. **-.-;**

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Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I love it.

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Chapter 4

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Haruhi would have never believed that someone would have found so many ways to cause trouble on a train before today.

When the conductor announced over the intercom that they were nearing the next stop, Tamaki jumped up and exclaimed, "But we're _not going_ to Fukushima! What's going on?" He paled. "_Mon __Dieu_ Are we on the wrong train? Somebody, stop this thing, we have to get off!!" he yelled frantically over the row of chairs.

People turned around to stare at him.

Haruhi gasped and yanked him back into his chair, "Shhh!" she whispered, "Quiet down, you're starting to-"

She was cut off by the attendant who'd rushed over to their row to see what all the fuss was about. "What's wrong? Are you ill? Should I call for a doctor?" the man asked worriedly.

Tamaki frowned, "I demand to know what is going on here! I specifically bought a one-way ticket to Aomori," he waved the slip in his hand heatedly. "And now the conductor says this train is headed to Fukushima? What kind of scam is this?!"

The attendant drew his brows together in confusion. "But this train _is_ going to Aomori, sir."

Tamaki huffed in indignation. "So now you're saying the conductor is a liar? We all heard what he said; that-"

"S-sir, please calm down. The train goes to many stops along the way before reaching Hokkaido. It will reach where you want to go eventually, just be patient."

Tamaki gaped at the man and mouthed "O" as realization dawned on him. He then brightened. "Ah! So this is one of the many methods commoners have developed in order to save time since they are too busy to visit multiple places?"

"Uh," the attendant said.

"Yes, it is all very clear to me now," Tamaki nodded to himself, as if he'd been contemplating it for a while. "This way they can go to as many places possible all in one quick trip. Very clever, "he added to himself.

Since Tamaki was lost in his own wonder of the regales of commoner wisdom, Haruhi took the chance to speak to the attendant. "Sorry about him sir," she apologized. "This is, uh, his first time riding the train."

The attendant laughed nervously. "Th-that's alright. Just try to keep it down and not disturb the other passengers, please." He then bowed slightly and got the hell away from them as fast as his feet could carry him. Haruhi watched as he retreated to the area reserved for the other attendants who were all waiting anxiously. They whispered to one another, shaking their heads and pointing in Haruhi and Tamaki's direction.

Haruhi didn't think she could be any more embarrassed. She turned to Tamaki. "You can't just go around bursting out like that, sempai!" she said angrily. "What were you thinking?"

Tamaki was too engrossed with looking out the window to pay attention to what she was saying.

Haruhi decided not to even waste her breath. She sighed and looked around for the rest of the host club members. Hikaru and Kaoru were looking at a magazine they'd found on the ground earlier together. It was a book of advertisements for a bunch of discount stores. They were held enthralled by the promises of "Extra Low Prices" and "Limited-Time Offers" on mass-produced goods. She looked over to where the other two sat. Hunni was fast asleep, his stuffed rabbit gently tucked under his arm. His blonde hair was tousled, but it suited him. Haruhi smiled to herself. He looked even younger than he normally did when he was sleeping. Takashi sat quietly next to him, carving something into a small block of wood with a wickedly sharp looking knife that made Haruhi wonder where he had acquired such a thing. She didn't even dare to venture why he was carving in the first place. He was enough of an enigma as it was.

Satisfied that they were all properly containing themselves in a peaceful manner, she turned back to Tamaki. He was still fixated on the window, intent on not missing a single tree pass them by. He finally noticed her watching him from the corner of his eye and grinned lazily at her.

Haruhi felt her breath catch. It was obvious to see why other girls found him so alluring. She too, felt the pull on her heartstrings when faced with that captivating smile of his. But Haruhi looked away, reminding herself not to get caught up in his web of attraction, because she at least knew better than that. Tamaki had gotten rendering women speechless down to an art. His boyish smile, those deep violet-blue eyes sparkling in mirth-everything he did was a careful assault on the senses, aimed bringing women to their knees. She pitied the poor girls who succumbed to his mastered seduction. Every look, every touch, every smile- he was naturally aware of how to produce that heart-throbbing effect would snare a girl in his clutches like a rabbit in a trap. In this sense, he had the capacity to be even more manipulative than Kyouya. For all his innocent sincerity, Haruhi knew that he was the most dangerous to her of all.

Tamaki seemed to notice her troubled thoughts and tenderly lifted her chin to his face. "Is something amiss, my lady?" He asked, ever the gallant and chivalrous knight.

Haruhi slapped his hand away. "Stop that."

He raised a quizzical brow. "Stop what?"

"_That_." Haruhi waggled her own eyebrows. "You know what I mean. Just stop… everything!"

"Everything?" He sounded momentarily bewildered. Everything covered quite a bit. But Tamaki was no man to be fazed by such a request and he said with determination, "V-Very well then! For you, Haruhi, I shall stop the earth and the moon in their orbit, and even bring time itself to a halt if that's what you want! I don't really have the means to do so right now…but,…I'll work on it, Haruhi, truly, I will! And someday, I _promise_, I will stop it all for you!"

Haruhi burst into laughter. He was as usual, being absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps she didn't have to worry so much about him then. He was an idiot, after all.

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Haruhi awoke as the train came to an abrupt halt. She realized she must have fallen asleep. Haruhi rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Where are we?"

"This is where we get off," Tamaki said, grabbing their bags from above. He extended a hand to help her up.

She took it and nodded her thanks. "Where is _this_?"

"Hokkaido!!" Hunni burst out from the other aisle. "We're in Hokkaido, Haruhi! Isn't that great?!"

She looked groggily over at Hunni. He was bubbling with excitement, which meant he must have awoken himself awhile ago. It was common knowledge that Hunni needed to take his time waking up; if he was woken up suddenly there was sure to be hell to pay. Grumpy didn't do him justice-he'd shoot flames from his mouth and roar like a dragon if his nap was disturbed.

"Hokkaido, huh?" Kaoru mused.

"Hmm." Hikaru said.

"Why Hokkaido?" Haruhi asked.

"Because," Tamaki said as he led the way to the exit, "Hokkaido is the best place to go for hot springs."

"Says who?" Haruhi wanted to know.

Tamaki furrowed his brow. "Doesn't everyone?"

"There are natural hot springs all over Japan," Haruhi pointed out. "Because of the intense volcanic activity in this region almost every area has at least one hot spring or spa. For that matter, why are we going to a hot spring in the first place?"

Kaoru came up from behind to ruffle her hair. "I think a hot spring trip in Hokkaido sounds rather interesting. Besides, you don't have anything against it, do you?"

"Not really. Though I don't see any reason for visiting one either." Haruhi paused. "But Hokkaido _is_ nice." she admitted, thinking about the abundant seafood it boasted.

Everyone laughed. Haruhi's thoughts were as transparent as the drool on her mouth.

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When they got off the train it was pouring outside. They all quickly ducked under an awning for temporary cover and to decide what they'd do next. The train didn't exactly drop them off right in Hokkaido- it left them in a small fishing village near Aomori which faced the water they'd have to cross to get to the actual place itself. Since Hokkaido was on an island, most people usually flew there. But there were two other methods of transportation available: taking the ferry or driving through the Seikan Tunnel. Tamaki chose the latter of the two simply because it was storming outside and he didn't want to deal with the tumultuous waves trying to toss them overboard. Originally he'd wanted to ride the ferry out of curiosity, (he'd never been on a ferry before,) but when he saw the violent waves crashing down upon the beach, he quickly changed his mind. So Tamaki made a quick phone call and a charter bus owned by the Sou family arrived to pick them up within a matter of minutes. Haruhi didn't even spare a moment to wonder how it had gotten there so fast. She was quickly becoming used to the peculiar impracticalities of the rich, and though she didn't always agree with the way they did things, she didn't really have a say in them either.

The ride up to the ryokan they'd be staying at was, for the most part, uneventful. That is if you called uneventful having Tamaki standing in the front of the bus wearing a uniform and reading from a pamphlet about every single thing they passed into a microphone he'd snatched from the driver like a damned tour guide uneventful. Even though the downpour was so thick, no-one could see what he was gesturing to anyway, he persisted. Haruhi tuned out the sound of Tamaki's voice and wondered why they'd needed an entire bus to carry six people with minimal baggage. It was absolutely unnecessary. A taxi-cab would have been perfectly suitable, if anyone cared to ask her. But they didn't; they just barreled through her input, as usual. Honestly, she wasn't sure how she was able to put up with their arrogance.

"And here, is our destination!" Tamaki cried into the microphone.

Haruhi looked up and heard her intake of breath. She looked outside, her eyes wide with mysterious wonder. Even though her vision was blurred by the sheeting rain, she made out the vast swooping roofs and mountainous valley below and instantly felt the serene presence of nature completely surround her. The ryokan was completely isolated from the rest of the world and felt like it had surpassed time in its pursuit of solitude. It was old, she could tell that much. Perhaps hundreds of years ago, monks had traveled here in search of peaceful meditation. If she were a monk, Haruhi would never leave the place; she'd forever surround herself in the beautiful tranquility freely offered. It was wild, and earthy, and wonderful. "Wow," didn't even cover it.

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**A/N:** Yay! I think the next chapter is going to be awesome, and I can't wait to start on it! Kyouya finally resurfaces along with...(drumroll)…a not-so-surprising surprise for Haruhi and a few disgruntling developments for Tamaki ! As always, Look forward to it and don't forget to review!

**PS:** For those of you who think this is turning into a Tamaki x Haruhi fic, think again! I've decided I'm just going to let the chips fall where they may and see what happens. So don't despair just yet if you were expecting it to go differently!!


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